I'm Done
by FickleArtist
Summary: After a while, you can't take it anymore.


There's only so many times a kid can be told, directly or not, that they're a disappointment. When that was all suddenly brought on after several years of being treated like 'a precious gift from above', it really messes with a person's head. Why his parents started acting like that once they discovered they could abandon him for days at a time with a babysitter was beyond him, the change had been so sudden that his young mind was convinced he'd done something wrong. Now, eight years after that phone call, he knew better. None of this was his fault yet he blamed himself on occasion because that's how his mind was molded by near constant bullying and neglect. No matter how hard he tried it wouldn't make his parents love him like they used to, not when people who loved making others miserable told lies that only an idiot would believe. Scratch that, no one believed kids when someone older contradicted them. On the rare occasion they seemed to take his word over Crocker or Vicky, both were forgiven and given his parents' full trust after a quick apology.

After too many instances where the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally take the word of your tormenters over your own, you start to distance yourself from them. Yeah he still loved his mom and dad, not like he used to but still. Some days were better than others, once in a while it was almost like they really cared about him again. But then they'd 'teasingly' mock him or point out that nothing in their life was how they wanted because they had him or outright admit they regretted having him. Lately he thought the endless cycle of neglect, disappointment, and the rare signs that he was loved were a show. Some attempt to keep him from reaching out for help with his home situation to the few adults who would take him seriously. Other times it was like they were putting on an act to show the town they were good parents trying to deal with a difficult child.

He had his problems but did they really warrant the treatment he got? On the real bad days he silently wished he'd never been born. Not existing would be so much easier to deal with than this. Those kinds of thoughts weren't fun to have and he hated himself for letting them form later when he felt better. After all no one chooses to exist. That fell entirely on his parents, why should he be grateful to them for giving him life when they made him wish he'd never been born?

Bad days were outweighing the good and tolerable ones. No matter how much his friends tried to help, it wasn't enough to counter the bad. His parents had gotten worse the older he got. Now sixteen they could leave him alone for several days at a time, speculated as to why no girl (or boy) was interested in him, hardly remembered to stock the house with food or leave him money when they disappeared, he wasn't left notes anymore when they went off, and his mother…well the woman made him feel terrible. Only last week she was crying over how she'd never be able to see the little girl she always wanted walk down the aisle. Dreams of passing her wedding dress to the daughter she was so sure she was going to have dashed the day he was born.

Teachers never gave him the grades he earned since the _only_ explanation of him suddenly getting better at school once he was no longer in Crocker's class must be he was cheating. None of them could prove it, hard to prove something that isn't true, so they lowered his grades to whatever they felt like. His should have a B average right now; instead it was a C-. The only people that could help rectify the situation agreed with his teachers. It wasn't his fault years earlier when he was made to do his babysitter's homework that he retained the information nor that these were the same teachers using the same course work.

So that was why he was shoving as many of his personal possessions as possible in a gym bag. Chester's dad was in trouble with the law; surprisingly it was not because he periodically stole animals from the zoo to feed his family, and seeing the chance to help his friend before he did something drastic the teen got his dad to agree to take Timmy with them. Life would be lousy, probably go hungry a lot while they found a place far enough away to start over, but at least Chester's dad was a decent parent. Timmy didn't care what he had to do to earn his keep once they were settled somewhere else, as long as he wasn't in Dimmsdale anymore. Earlier the teens said goodbye to their friends, chances of them meeting again were slim. A once over of his room confirmed he'd grabbed everything of personal value and the truck idling by the curve with its headlights off was his cue to hurry out the door. But not before he taped a note onto his parents' bedroom door. No he didn't write out all the things they'd done to push him away, they didn't deserve that nor would they ever admit to being at fault. Instead it was a single sentence, he didn't sign it, didn't write that he loved them; it would only make leaving impossible.

As quickly as he could the teen made his way to the truck and hopped in next to his best friend who smiled sadly at him. They didn't bring much, it's was that the cops wouldn't widen their search giving them a better chance of finding a place to hide. Timmy could get away with leaving fewer personal possessions since his parents would take weeks to notice he was gone anyway.

Sitting in the truck he watched the town he grew up in disappear for the last time. This wasn't like the time he ran off to be a Carney, this time he wouldn't ever go back because this time it felt right to leave. For the first time in years he felt like life would be fine despite now being on the run from the law. Silent tears fell that the other two pretended not to notice as he thought back to the note he left his parents.

 _I'm done letting you make me feel guilty about my own existence._


End file.
